Nigeria may have started preparation for the 2014 Venice
Biennale, even though the 2013 edition, which opens in June and ends September is holding
without the country’s pavilion.
Courtesy of a private initiative, Temple Productions Ltd with the
support of the National Gallery of Art (NGA), Abuja and assistance of British Council, Lagos stakeholders gathered recently in Lagos and discussed possible
challenges ahead.
Actress and art promoter, Ego Boyo of Temple Productions presented a background into her idea of Nigeria Rising: Journey to the Venice
Biennale.
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| President of Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Oliver Enwonwu, speaking during the meeting while Ego Boyo and visiting Director of National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Doreen Sibanda (left) listens |
Excerpts from Boyo’s presentation;
The Biennale is the worlds largest and oldest art exhibition.
It is a cultural event held every 2 years in the city of Venice. In its
118 year history La Biennale has welcomed over 90 countries to exhibit and
visitors from all over the globe, with the 201 1 edition seeing visitors
numbering 375,000. The area utilised by the Biennale is the Guardini and the
old ship yards the arsenale and this Is made up of National pavilions which
become the repository of a Nations Art for the duration of the exhibition. This
area is spread over 35,000 sq metres and also extends to other suburbs in the
city.
The exhibition runs for 150 days, June to November and from
inception it has become a truly international exhibition with elements which
include the national pavilions, unofficial pavilions and other fringe
exhibitions. In addition, later in the same year, the Venice Film is held in
september and an architectural exhibition and music festival.
Nigerian Art. Contemporary and creative
This early manifestation of African Art is believed to have
contributed as well as much of African Art, in having great influence on the
work of some of the greatest western artists of the 20th century.
Quote from Chika Okeke " contemporary western scholars
and artists generally acknowledge that one of the sparks for European art's
paradigmatic change in direction in the 20th c occurred as western artists
encountered African and oceanic ethnographic objects and recognised the
possibilities they offered for formal shifts in European painting and sculpture."
That century also saw not only the resurgence but also the
evolution of Nigerian Art, especially in the post colonial era, with the work
of post colonial artists depicting definitive ideas of our culture against the
backdrop of the political and cultural change the country and the continent was
witnessing at that time.
From then to now we have seen an explosion of creative
expression of creativity not only in Nigeria but from all over Africa, via a
motley of diverse medium of paint, wood, metal, waste, paper, vegetation,
fabric, plastic, beads, etc
Today a relatively small but growing number of mainly
academics, gallery owners, museums and art collectors who had kept in touch
with the development and resurgence of Art on the continent buy, exhibit and
keep the works of Nigerian artists, especially the older well know. Many times,
African Art is lumped together with no clear differentiation of the diverse and
unique cultures and style that make up the continent and the varied expressions
which is inherent in the Art we produce.
In the last 20 years, there has been an attempt by historians
from various countries on the continent to document the art from their
individual countries, and this has come at a time when Art emanating from
african countries is attracting its own follower ship, with more exhibitions
inside and outside the continent. all this with a view to ensure a proper
representation of the various forms of modern African art.
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| The Director, Special Duties, NGA, Abuja Mrs Biola Awotedu (left) shortly after presenting catalogues of Art Expo Nigeria and other documentation on Nigerian art to Kareina Schwarz of the British Council during the stakeholders meeting on Nigeria Rising: Journey to the Venice Biennale, Lagos. |
Why the biennale in Venice?
On holiday in venice in 2008, i had a chance meeting
with a gallery owner Adriano Berengo, who had recently seen an exhibition
of African art at the Biennale of 2007 in which Nigeria art was featured. He
was also familiar with Nigeria from his earlier travels as a sailor to the country.
In conversation, he emphasised the need for Nigeria to exhibit at the Biennale
and showcase its rich and diverse artistic culture. I fully agreed with
him and as our subsequent conversations followed and my interest was peaked, I began to research the possibility of such an exhibition which would then
include a possible appearance of Nigerian Film and eventually Architecture. My
focus however stayed on Art as a medium I felt the country had
"conquered" and would be able to participate at international levels
without any problems of quality control.
I focused on the possibility of Nigeria participating in the
Art exhibition of the Biennale of 2009, but soon realised how unprepared I was
for the intricate planning, cost and commitment that was required for a first
time participation.
This attempt was further challenged by the fact that a
country's participation in the Biennale is usually at the behest and
sponsorship of the nation state, which was not forthcoming at the time. I then
adopted the strategy of taking Nigeria to the Biennale through a collaborative
effort of the private sector and the state at first instance, and through a
successful outing, obtain more state participation and commitments for future
outings.
This was done and with the necessary institutional and
governmental support in hand by way of commitments from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orieentation as well as the NGA and the great support from The British council,
Lagos who gave invaluable advice. this culminated in the idea to launch this
forum as a way of gaining much needed information, advice and insight from
fellow Africans who had successfully exhibited at a previous Biennale and our
partner The British council and also a way of getting the buy in of stakeholders.
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